Display device

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a display device for improving productivity. The display device having a touch sensor is configured such that the total thickness of at least one inorganic insulation layer disposed on the region above each of dams is different from the total thickness of the at least one inorganic insulation layer disposed on a trench region between the dams. Thus, a photoresist for forming a routing line is formed so as to have a uniform thickness on the region above each of the dams and the trench region between the dams, and thus productivity is improved.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/664,603, filed on Oct. 25, 2019, which claimsthe benefit of Republic of Korea Patent Application No. 10-2018-0137407,filed on Nov. 9, 2018, all of which are hereby incorporated by referenceas if fully set forth herein.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a display device, and moreparticularly to a display device for improving productivity.

BACKGROUND

A touchscreen is an input device through which a user may input acommand by selecting instructions displayed on a screen of a displaydevice using a hand or an object. That is, the touchscreen converts acontact position that directly contacts a human hand or an object intoan electrical signal and receives selected instructions based on thecontact position as an input signal. Such a touchscreen may substitutefor a separate input device that is connected to a display device andoperated, such as a keyboard or a mouse, and thus the range ofapplication of the touchscreen has continually increased.

Accordingly, many attempts are being made to install a touchscreen in adisplay panel, such as a liquid crystal display panel or an organiclight-emitting display panel, in order to improve productivity ofdisplay devices or reduce the size thereof.

When a touchscreen is installed in an organic light-emitting displaypanel, signal lines of the touchscreen are disposed on dams of theorganic light-emitting display panel. In this case, however, a residualfilm of a photoresist for forming the touchscreen is highly likely to beleft behind in a deep trench between the dams. If an exposure isincreased in order to prevent a residual film of a photoresist forforming the touchscreen from being left behind, productivity isdeteriorated.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, the present disclosure is directed to a display device thatsubstantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations anddisadvantages of the related art.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a display device forimproving productivity.

Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will beset forth in part in the description which follows and in part willbecome apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art uponexamination of the following or may be learned from practice of theinvention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may berealized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in thewritten description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with thepurpose of the disclosure, as embodied and broadly described herein,according to one aspect of the disclosure, a display device comprises alight-emitting element disposed in an active area of a substrate, atouch sensor disposed on the light-emitting element, an encapsulationunit disposed between the light-emitting element and the touch sensor,the encapsulation unit comprising a plurality of inorganic encapsulationlayers and at least one organic encapsulation layer disposed between theinorganic encapsulation layers, a touch pad disposed in a pad area ofthe substrate, the touch pad being connected to the touch sensor via arouting line, and a first dam and a second dam disposed between theactive area and the pad area, wherein a total thickness of at least oneinorganic insulation layer disposed on a region above each of the firstand second dams is different from a total thickness of the at least oneinorganic insulation layer disposed in a trench region between the firstdam and the second dam, whereby a photoresist for forming a routing lineis formed so as to have a uniform thickness on the region above each ofthe dams and the trench region between the dams, and thus productivityis improved.

According to other aspect of the disclosure, it is to provide a displaydevice comprising a light-emitting element disposed in an active area ofa substrate, a touch sensor disposed on the light-emitting element, anencapsulation unit disposed between the light-emitting element and thetouch sensor, the encapsulation unit comprising a plurality of inorganicencapsulation layers and at least one organic encapsulation layerdisposed between the inorganic encapsulation layers, a touch paddisposed in a pad area of the substrate, the touch pad being connectedto the touch sensor via a routing line, a first dam and a second damdisposed between the active area and the pad area, a low-voltage supplyline disposed on the substrate and below the first dam and the seconddam, and an auxiliary electrode disposed between the low-voltage supplyline and the first and second dams and electrically connecting thelow-voltage supply line and a cathode of the light-emitting element,wherein the second dam includes a first sub-dam and a second sub-dam,and the auxiliary electrode is partially disposed between the firstsub-dam and the second sub-dam.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description of the present disclosure areexemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide furtherexplanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the disclosure andtogether with the description serve to explain the principle of thedisclosure.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an organic light-emittingdisplay device having a touch sensor according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating an organic light-emitting displaydevice having a touch sensor according to a first embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates cross-sectional views taken along lines I-I′ andII-II′ in FIG. 2 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an organic light-emittingdisplay device having a touch sensor according to a second embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIGS. 5A to 5C are cross-sectional views illustrating a method ofmanufacturing a comparative example in which first and second inorganicencapsulation layers, a touch buffer film, and a touch insulation filmare disposed on the first and second dams illustrated in FIG. 4.

FIGS. 6A to 6C are cross-sectional views illustrating a method ofmanufacturing an embodiment in which at least one of a first inorganicencapsulation layer and a second inorganic encapsulation layer isdisposed on the first and second dams illustrated in FIG. 4 according toan embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an organic light-emittingdisplay device having a touch sensor according to a third embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIGS. 8A to 8D are cross-sectional views illustrating a method ofmanufacturing the organic light-emitting display device having a touchsensor illustrated in FIG. 4 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view,respectively, illustrating another example of the first and second touchelectrodes and the second bridge illustrated in FIG. 4 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of thepresent disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numberswill be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an organic light-emittingdisplay device having a touch sensor according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

The organic light-emitting display device having a touch sensorillustrated in FIG. 1 senses the presence or absence of a touch and atouch position by sensing a variation in mutual capacitance Cm (touchsensor) in response to a user touch via touch electrodes 152 e and 154 eillustrated in FIG. 2 for a touch period. Then, the organiclight-emitting display device having a touch sensor illustrated in FIG.1 displays an image via unit pixels each including a light-emittingelement 120. Each unit pixel may include red (R), green (G), and blue(B) subpixels PXL, or may include red (R), green (G), blue (B), andwhite (W) subpixels PXL.

To this end, the organic light-emitting display device illustrated inFIG. 1 includes a plurality of subpixels PXL arranged in a matrix formon a substrate 111, an encapsulation unit 140 disposed on the subpixelsPXL, and a mutual capacitance array Cm disposed on the encapsulationunit 140.

Each of the subpixels PXL includes a pixel-driving circuit and thelight-emitting element 120 connected to the pixel-driving circuit.

The pixel-driving circuit includes a switching transistor T1, a drivingtransistor T2, and a storage capacitor Cst. In the present disclosure, astructure in which the pixel-driving circuit includes two transistors Tand one capacitor C is described by way of example, but the presentdisclosure is not limited thereto. That is, a pixel-driving circuithaving a structure in which three or more transistors T and one or morecapacitors C are provided, such as a 3T1C structure or 3T2C structure,may be used.

The switching transistor T1 is turned on when a scan pulse is suppliedto a scan line SL, and supplies a data signal supplied to a data line DLto the storage capacitor Cst and a gate electrode of the drivingtransistor T2.

The driving transistor T2 controls the current I to be supplied from ahigh-voltage (VDD) supply line to the light-emitting element 120 inresponse to the data signal supplied to the gate electrode of thedriving transistor T2, thereby adjusting the amount of light emittedfrom the light-emitting element 120. Then, even if the switchingtransistor T1 is turned off, the driving transistor T2 maintains theemission of light by the light-emitting element 120 by supplying aconstant amount of current thereto using the voltage charged in thestorage capacitor Cst until a data signal of a next frame is supplied.

The driving thin-film transistor T2 or 130, as illustrated in FIG. 3,includes a semiconductor layer 134 disposed on a buffer layer 112, agate electrode 132 overlapping the semiconductor layer 134 with a gateinsulation film 102 interposed therebetween, and a source electrode 136and a drain electrode 138 formed on an interlayer insulation film 114 soas to come into contact with the semiconductor layer 134. Here, thesemiconductor layer 134 is formed of at least one of an amorphoussemiconductor material, a polycrystalline semiconductor material, or andan oxide semiconductor material.

The light-emitting element 120 includes an anode 122, at least onelight-emitting stack 124 formed on the anode 122, and a cathode 126formed on the light-emitting stack 124.

The anode 122 is electrically connected to the drain electrode 138 ofthe driving thin-film transistor T2 or 130, which is exposed through apixel contact hole formed through a pixel planarization layer 118.

The light-emitting stack 124 is formed on the anode 122 in alight-emitting area that is defined by a bank 128. The light-emittingstack 124 is formed by stacking a hole-related layer, an organicemission layer, and an electron-related layer on the anode 122 in thatorder or in the reverse order. In addition, the light-emitting stack 124may include first and second light-emitting stacks, which face eachother with a charge generation layer interposed therebetween. In thiscase, the organic emission layer of any one of the first and secondlight-emitting stacks generates blue light, and the organic emissionlayer of the other one of the first and second light-emitting stacksgenerates yellow-green light, whereby white light is generated via thefirst and second light-emitting stacks. Since the white light generatedin the light-emitting stack 124 is incident on a color filter locatedabove or under the light-emitting stack 124, a color image may berealized. In addition, colored light corresponding to each subpixel maybe generated in each light-emitting stack 124 to realize a color imagewithout a separate color filter. That is, the light-emitting stack 124of the red (R) subpixel may generate red light, the light-emitting stack124 of the green (G) subpixel may generate green light, and thelight-emitting stack 124 of the blue (B) subpixel may generate bluelight.

The cathode 126 may be formed so as to face the anode 122 with thelight-emitting stack 124 interposed therebetween. The cathode 126 isconnected to a low-voltage (VSS) supply line 106 via an auxiliaryelectrode 108. The low-voltage (VSS) supply line 106 is formed of thesame material as the source and drain electrodes 136 and 138 on thesubstrate 111. The auxiliary electrode 108 is disposed between thelow-voltage (VSS) supply line 106 and the cathode 126 and electricallyconnects the low-voltage (VSS) supply line 106 and the cathode 126 toeach other. The auxiliary electrode 108 is formed of the same materialas the anode 122.

The encapsulation unit 140 prevents external moisture or oxygen fromentering the light-emitting element 120, which is vulnerable to theexternal moisture or oxygen. To this end, the encapsulation unit 140includes a plurality of inorganic encapsulation layers 142 and 146 andan organic encapsulation layer 144 disposed between the inorganicencapsulation layers 142 and 146. The inorganic encapsulation layer 146is the uppermost layer. Here, the encapsulation unit 140 includes atleast two inorganic encapsulation layers 142 and 146 and at least oneorganic encapsulation layer 144. In the present disclosure, thestructure of the encapsulation unit 140 in which the organicencapsulation layer 144 is disposed between the first and secondinorganic encapsulation layers 142 and 146 will be described by way ofexample, but is not limited hereto.

The first inorganic encapsulation layer 142 is formed on the substrate111, on which the cathode 126 has been formed, so as to be closest tothe light-emitting element 120. The first inorganic encapsulation layer142 is formed of an inorganic insulation material that is capable ofbeing deposited at a low temperature, such as silicon nitride (SiNx),silicon oxide (SiOx), silicon oxide nitride (SiON), or aluminum oxide(Al₂O₃). Thus, since the first inorganic encapsulation layer 142 isdeposited in a low-temperature atmosphere, it is possible to preventdamage to the light-emitting stack 124, which is vulnerable to ahigh-temperature atmosphere, during the process of depositing the firstinorganic encapsulation layer 142.

The organic encapsulation layer 144 serves to dampen the stress betweenthe respective layers due to bending of the organic light-emittingdisplay device and to increase planarization performance. The organicencapsulation layer 144 is formed of an organic insulation material,such as acryl resin, epoxy resin, polyimide, polyethylene, or siliconoxycarbide (SiOC).

If the organic encapsulation layer 144 is formed through an inkjetmethod, a plurality of dams 162 and 164 is formed in order to preventthe organic encapsulation layer 144 in a liquid state from invading theedge area of the substrate 111. The dams 162 and 164 are disposed closerto the edge area of the substrate 111 than the organic encapsulationlayer 144. The dams 162 and 164 may prevent the organic encapsulationlayer 144 from invading a pad area, which is disposed at the edge areaof the substrate 111 and in which a touch pad 170 and a display pad 180are disposed. To this end, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the dams 162 and164 may be formed so as to completely surround an active area, in whichthe light-emitting element 120 is disposed, or may be formed onlybetween the active area and the pad area. In the case in which the padarea in which the touch pad 170 and the display pad 180 are disposed atone side of the substrate 111, the dams 162 and 164 may be disposed onlyat the one side of the substrate 111. In the case in which the pad areain which the touch pad 170 and the display pad 180 are disposed ateither side of the substrate 111, the dams 162 and 164 are disposed ateither side of the substrate 111. Here, the dams 162 and 164, which arespaced a predetermined distance apart from each other, may be disposedparallel to each other. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the presentdisclosure, the structure in which the dams include a closed-type firstdam 162 surrounding the active area and a second dam 164 disposedbetween the first dam 162 and the pad area has been described by way ofexample, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

Each of the first and second dams 162 and 164 is formed to have asingle-layer or multi-layer structure. The second dam 164, which isrelatively close to the touch pad 170 and the display pad 180, is formedto be higher than the first dam 162, which is relatively farther awayfrom the touch pad 170 and the display pad 180. To this end, the firstdam 162 may be formed of the same material as one of the pixelplanarization layer 118 and the bank 128 and is formed simultaneouslytherewith. The second dam 164 may include a first sub-dam 164 a, whichis formed of the same material as the pixel planarization layer 118 andis formed simultaneously therewith, and a second sub-dam 164 b, which isformed of the same material as the bank 128 and is formed simultaneouslytherewith on the first sub-dam 164 a. The auxiliary electrode 108 may bedisposed between the first and second sub-dams 164 a and 164 b so thatthe difference in height between the upper surface of the second dam 164and the upper surface of the first dam 162 becomes large.

The second inorganic encapsulation layer 146 is formed on the substrate111, on which the organic encapsulation layer 144 has been formed, so asto cover the upper surface and the side surface of each of the organicencapsulation layer 144 and the first inorganic encapsulation layer 142.Thus, the second inorganic encapsulation layer 146 minimizes or preventsthe entry of external moisture or oxygen into the first inorganicencapsulation layer 142 and the organic encapsulation layer 144. Thesecond inorganic encapsulation layer 146 is formed of an inorganicinsulation material, such as silicon nitride (SiNx), silicon oxide(SiOx), silicon oxide nitride (SiON), or aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃).

During the formation of a second bridge 154 b, at least one of the firstand second inorganic encapsulation layers 142 and 146 is disposed so asto cover a lower touch pad electrode 172 and a lower display padelectrode 182, which are formed of the same material as the secondbridge 154 b. In this case, at least one of the first and secondinorganic encapsulation layers 142 and 146 prevents the lower touch padelectrode 172 and the lower display pad electrode 182 from being exposedto the outside during the formation of the second bridge 154 b. Thus,during the process of etching the second bridge 154 b, at least one ofthe first and second inorganic encapsulation layers 142 and 146 preventsthe lower touch pad electrode 172 and the lower display pad electrode182 from being etched, thereby preventing damage to the lower touch padelectrode 172 and the lower display pad electrode 182.

A touch sensor (mutual capacitance Cm), which includes a touchinsulation film 156 and further includes a touch-sensing line 154 and atouch-driving line 152, which are disposed so as to intersect each otherwith the touch insulation film 156 interposed therebetween, is disposedon the encapsulation unit 140. The touch sensor charges an electriccharge using a touch-driving pulse supplied to the touch-driving line152 and discharges the electric charge to the touch-sensing line 154.

The touch-driving line 152 includes a plurality of first touchelectrodes 152 e and first bridges 152 b electrically connecting thefirst touch electrodes 152 e.

The first touch electrodes 152 e are spaced apart from each other atregular intervals in the X-axis direction, which is the first direction,on the touch insulation film 156. Each of the first touch electrodes 152e is electrically connected to an adjacent first touch electrode 152 evia the first bridge 152 b.

The first bridge 152 b may be disposed on the touch insulation film 156in the same plane as the second touch electrode 154 e and iselectrically connected to the second touch electrode 154 e without aseparate contact hole. Since the first bridge 152 b is disposed so as tooverlap the bank 128, it is possible to prevent the aperture ratio frombeing deteriorated by the first bridge 152 b.

The touch-sensing line 154 includes a plurality of second touchelectrodes 154 e and second bridges 154 b electrically connecting thesecond touch electrodes 154 e.

The second touch electrodes 154 e are spaced apart from each other atregular intervals in the Y-axis direction, which is the seconddirection, on the touch insulation film 156. Each of the second touchelectrodes 154 e is electrically connected to an adjacent second touchelectrode 154 e via the second bridge 154 b.

The second bridge 154 b is formed on the second inorganic encapsulationlayer 146 and is exposed through a touch contact hole 150, whichpenetrates the touch insulation film 156, so as to be electricallyconnected to the first touch electrode 152 e. Like the first bridge 152b, the second bridge 154 b is disposed so as to overlap the bank 128,thereby preventing the aperture ratio from being deteriorated by thesecond bridge 154 b.

A touch protective film 158 is formed so as to cover the first andsecond touch electrodes 152 e and 154 e, the first and second bridges152 b and 154 b, and a portion of a routing line 160. The touchprotective film 158 prevents the first and second touch electrodes 152 eand 154 e and the first and second bridges 152 b and 154 b from beingdamaged by external shocks, moisture, or the like. In addition, thetouch protective film 158 is formed so as to expose the display pad 180and the touch pad 170. The touch protective film 158 may be formed of anorganic insulation material such as epoxy or acrylic, or may be formedof a polarizing film.

Each of the touch-driving line 152 and the touch-sensing line 154 isconnected to a touch-driving unit (not illustrated) via the routing line160 and the touch pad 170.

The touch pad 170 is connected to a signal transmission film (notillustrated), on which the touch-driving unit is installed. The touchpad 170 includes a lower touch pad electrode 172 and an upper touch padelectrode 174.

The lower touch pad electrode 172 is disposed on at least one of thesubstrate 111, the buffer layer 112, and the interlayer insulation film114, which is disposed under the encapsulation unit 140. For example,the lower touch pad electrode 172 is disposed on the substrate 111 so asto be in contact with the substrate 111. The lower touch pad electrode172 is formed of the same material and in the same plane as at least oneof the gate electrode 132 and the source and drain electrodes 136 and138 of the driving transistor T2 or 130 so as to have a single-layer ormulti-layer structure. For example, since the lower touch pad electrode172 is formed of the same material as the source and drain electrodes136 and 138 on the substrate 111, the lower surface of the lower touchpad electrode 172 comes into contact with the substrate 111.

The upper touch pad electrode 174 is electrically connected to the lowertouch pad electrode 172, which is exposed through a touch pad contacthole 176 that penetrates the first and second inorganic encapsulationlayers 142 and 146 and the touch insulation film 156. The upper touchpad electrode 174 is formed of the same material as the routing line 160and is formed through the same mask process as the routing line 160.Since the upper touch pad electrode 174 extends from the routing line160, the upper touch pad electrode 174 is electrically connected to therouting line 160 without a separate contact hole.

The display pad 180 is also disposed in a non-active (bezel) area, inwhich the touch pad 170 is disposed. For example, as illustrated in FIG.2, the display pads 180 may be disposed between the touch pads 170, orthe touch pads 170 may be disposed between the display pads 180.Alternatively, the touch pad 170 may be disposed at one side of thedisplay panel, and the display pad 180 may be disposed at the oppositeside of the display panel. The arrangement of the touch pad 170 and thedisplay pad 180 is not limited to the structure illustrated in FIG. 2,but may be variously changed depending on the design choices made forthe display device.

The display pad 180 may be formed in a different stacking structure fromthe touch pad 170, or may be formed in the same stacking structure asthe touch pad 170, as illustrated in FIG. 3.

That is, the display pad 180 illustrated in FIG. 3 includes the lowerdisplay pad electrode 182 and the upper display pad electrode 184.

The lower display pad electrode 182 is formed so as to be connected toat least one signal line of the scan line SL, the data line DL, thelow-voltage (VSS) supply line 106, and the high-voltage (VDD) supplyline within the active area, in which the light-emitting element 120 isformed. The lower display pad electrode 182 is formed of the samematerial as at least one of the gate electrode 132 and the source anddrain electrodes 136 and 138 of the driving transistor T2 or 130 and isformed in a single-layer or multi-layer structure on the substrate 111.For example, like the lower touch pad electrode 172, the lower displaypad electrode 182 is formed on the substrate 111 and is formed of thesame material as the source and drain electrodes 136 and 138.

The upper display pad electrode 184 is electrically connected to thelower display pad electrode 182, which is exposed through a display padcontact hole 186 that penetrates the first and second inorganicencapsulation layers 142 and 146 and the touch insulation film 156. Theupper display pad electrode 184 is formed of the same material as therouting line 160 and is formed through the same mask process as therouting line 160.

The routing line 160 transmits a touch-driving pulse generated in thetouch-driving unit to the touch-driving line 152 via the touch pad 170and transmits a touch signal from the touch-sensing line 154 to thetouch-driving unit via the touch pad 170. Thus, the routing line 160 isformed between each of the first and second touch electrodes 152 e and154 e and the touch pad 170, and electrically connects each of the firstand second touch electrodes 152 e and 154 e and the touch pad 170 toeach other. Here, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the routing line 160 extendsfrom the first touch electrode 152 e to at least one of the left sideand the right side of the active area AA and is connected to the touchpad 170. In addition, the routing line 160 extends from the second touchelectrode 154 e to at least one of the upper side and the lower side ofthe active area and is connected to the touch pad 170. The arrangementof the routing line 160 may be variously changed depending on the designchoices made for the display device.

The routing line 160 is disposed so as to intersect the first and seconddams 162 and 164 above the first and second dams 162 and 164.

Here, the total thickness of at least one inorganic insulation layerdisposed on the first and second dams 162 and 164 is different from thetotal thickness of the at least one inorganic insulation layer disposedin a trench region formed between the first and second dams 162 and 164.That is, the total thickness of the at least one inorganic insulationlayer disposed between each of the first and second dams 162 and 164 andthe routing line 160 is less than the total thickness of the at leastone inorganic insulation layer disposed between the auxiliary electrode108, which is exposed between the first and second dams 162 and 164, andthe routing line 160. To this end, the total number of the at least oneinorganic insulation layer disposed between each of the first and seconddams 162 and 164 and the routing line 160 is less than the total numberof the at least one inorganic insulation layer disposed between theauxiliary electrode 108, which is exposed between the first and seconddams 162 and 164, and the routing line 160. Specifically, the first andsecond inorganic encapsulation layers 142 and 146 and the touchinsulation film 156 are disposed between the auxiliary electrode 108,which is exposed between the first and second dams 162 and 164, and therouting line 160, and one of the first and second inorganicencapsulation layers 142 and 146 and the touch insulation film 156 isdisposed between each of the first and second dams 162 and 164 and therouting line 160. If no inorganic insulation film is disposed betweeneach of the first and second dams 162 and 164 and the routing line 160,external moisture or oxygen may be introduced thereinto. Therefore, oneof the first and second inorganic encapsulation layers 142 and 146 andthe touch insulation film 156 needs to be disposed between each of thefirst and second dams 162 and 164 and the routing line 160. In thepresent disclosure, the structure in which the first inorganicencapsulation layer 142 is disposed between each of the first and seconddams 162 and 164 and the routing line 160 will be described below by wayof example. Here, the first inorganic encapsulation layer 142 disposedbetween each of the first and second dams 162 and 164 and the routingline 160 is formed to have a thickness that is equal to or less than thethickness of the first inorganic encapsulation layer 142 disposedbetween the auxiliary electrode 108, which is exposed between the firstand second dams 162 and 164, and the routing line 160. Thus, theunevenness between the trench region 166, which is formed between thefirst and second dams 162 and 164, and the region above each of thefirst and second dams 162 and 164 is minimized. As a result, it ispossible to prevent electrical short-circuit or disconnection of therouting line 160, which is formed across the trench region 166 betweenthe first and second dams 162 and 164 and the region above each of thefirst and second dams 162 and 164.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an organic light-emittingdisplay device having a touch sensor according to a second embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

The organic light-emitting display device having the touch sensorillustrated in FIG. 4 has the same constituent components as the organiclight-emitting display device having the touch sensor illustrated inFIG. 3, except that a touch buffer film 148 is further provided. Adetailed explanation of the same constituent components will be omittedfor the sake of brevity.

The touch buffer film 148 illustrated in FIG. 4 is disposed between thesecond inorganic encapsulation layer 146, which is disposed at theuppermost portion of the encapsulation unit 140, and the second bridge154 b, which is disposed at the lowermost portion of the touch sensor.The spacing distance between each of the touch-sensing line 154 and thetouch-driving line 152 and the light-emitting element 120 is increasedby the touch buffer film 148. Thus, the capacity of a parasiticcapacitor formed between each of the touch-sensing line 154 and thetouch-driving line 152 and the light-emitting element 120 may beminimized, and mutual interaction due to coupling between each of thetouch-sensing line 154 and the touch-driving line 152 and thelight-emitting element 120 may be prevented.

In addition, during the formation of the second bridge 154 b, the touchbuffer film 148 is disposed so as to cover the lower touch pad electrode172 and the lower display pad electrode 182, which are formed of thesame material as the second bridge 154 b. In this case, the touch bufferfilm 148 prevents the lower touch pad electrode 172 and the lowerdisplay pad electrode 182 from being exposed to the outside during theformation of the second bridge 154 b. Thus, during the process ofetching the second bridge 154 b, the lower touch pad electrode 172 andthe lower display pad electrode 182 are prevented from being etched,thereby preventing damage to the lower touch pad electrode 172 and thelower display pad electrode 182.

As such, the lower touch pad electrode 172 and the lower display padelectrode 182 illustrated in FIG. 4 are protected by the touch bufferfilm 148 during the process of etching the second bridge 154 b. Thus,the touch pad 170 and the display pad 180 do not overlap the first andsecond inorganic encapsulation layers 142 and 146.

Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the display pad 180 includes the lowerdisplay pad electrode 182 and the upper display pad electrode 184, whichare connected to each other via the display pad contact hole 186 thatpenetrates the touch buffer film 148 and the touch insulation film 156.

The touch pad 170 includes the lower touch pad electrode 172 and theupper touch pad electrode 174, which are connected to each other via thetouch pad contact hole 176 that penetrates the touch buffer film 148 andthe touch insulation film 156.

The routing line 160, which is connected to the upper touch padelectrode 174, is disposed so as to intersect the first and second dams162 and 164 above the first and second dams 162 and 164.

Here, the total thickness of at least one thin-film layer disposedbetween each of the first and second dams 162 and 164 and the routingline 160 is less than the total thickness of the at least one thin-filmlayer disposed between the auxiliary electrode 108, which is exposedbetween the first and second dams 162 and 164, and the routing line 160.For example, the first and second inorganic encapsulation layers 142 and146, the touch buffer film 148 and the touch insulation film 156 aredisposed between the auxiliary electrode 108, which is exposed betweenthe first and second dams 162 and 164, and the routing line 160, and oneof the first and second inorganic encapsulation layers 142 and 146, thetouch buffer film 148, and the touch insulation film 156 is disposedbetween each of the first and second dams 162 and 164 and the routingline 160. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the firstinorganic encapsulation layer 142 is disposed between each of the firstand second dams 162 and 164 and the routing line 160.

Thus, the unevenness between the trench region 166, which is formedbetween the first and second dams 162 and 164, and the region above eachof the first and second dams 162 and 164 is minimized. As a result, itis possible to prevent electrical short-circuit or disconnection of therouting line 160, which is formed across the trench region 166 betweenthe first and second dams 162 and 164 and the region above each of thefirst and second dams 162 and 164.

FIGS. 5A to 5C are cross-sectional views illustrating a method ofmanufacturing a routing line according to a comparative example, andFIGS. 6A to 6C are cross-sectional views illustrating a method ofmanufacturing the routing line according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The comparative example has a structure in which the totalthickness of inorganic insulation layers disposed above the dams 162 and164 is the same as the total thickness of the inorganic insulationlayers disposed in the trench region 166 between the dams 162 and 164.The embodiment has a structure in which the total thickness of inorganicinsulation layers disposed above the dams 162 and 164 is less than thetotal thickness of the inorganic insulation layers disposed in thetrench region 166 between the dams 162 and 164.

In the comparative example, as illustrated in FIG. 5A, a conductivelayer 178 a is deposited on the entire surface of the touch insulationfilm 156 so as to cover the first and second dams 162 and 164, and aphotoresist 188 a is coated on the conductive layer 178 a. Here, sincethe photoresist 188 a is an organic insulation material in a liquidstate, the thickness d1 of the photoresist 188 a coated on the trenchregion 166 between the first and second dams 162 and 164 is greater thanthe thickness d2 of the photoresist 188 a coated on the region aboveeach of the first and second dams 162 and 164. If an exposure isdetermined on the basis of the thickness of the photoresist 188 a formedon the region above each of the first and second dams 162 and 164, thephotoresist 188 a formed with a relatively large thickness on the trenchregion 166 between the first and second dams 162 and 164 is not normallyexposed. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 5B, a residual film 188 c of thephotoresist is left behind after the developing process. If theconductive layer 178 a is etched using a photoresist pattern 188 bhaving the residual film 188 c, as illustrated in FIG. 5C, theconductive layer 178 a remains in the region corresponding to theresidual film 188 c of the photoresist, and thus short-circuit occursbetween adjacent routing lines 160. On the other hand, if an exposure isincreased in order to prevent the residual film 188 c of the photoresistfrom being left behind in the trench region 166 between the first andsecond dams 162 and 164, productivity is deteriorated.

In the embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 6A, a conductive layer 178 ais deposited on the entire surfaces of the touch insulation film 156disposed in the trench region 166 between the first and second dams 162and 164 and the second inorganic encapsulation layer 146 disposed in theregion above each of the first and second dams 162 and 164, and aphotoresist 188 a is coated on the conductive layer 178 a. Here, thethickness of the photoresist 188 a formed in the region above each ofthe first and second dams 162 and 164 and the thickness of thephotoresist 188 a formed in the trench region between the first andsecond dams 162 and 164 are the same as each other. After the process ofexposing and developing the photoresist 188 a, as illustrated in FIG.6B, a photoresist pattern 188 b having a uniform thickness is formed inthe region above each of the first and second dams 162 and 164 and inthe trench region 166 between the first and second dams 162 and 164.Here, since the thickness of the photoresist pattern 188 b formed in thetrench region 166 between the first and second dams 162 and 164illustrated in FIG. 6B is less than the thickness of the photoresistpattern 188 b formed in the trench region 166 between the first andsecond dams 162 and 164 illustrated in FIG. 5B, it is possible to reduceexposure compared to the comparative example, and thus the embodimentmay shorten the exposure time and consequently may improve productivity.

The conductive layer 178 a is patterned through the etching processusing the photoresist pattern 188 b as a mask, and the routing lines 160having desired design widths are formed, as illustrated in FIG. 6C.Thus, the embodiment of the present disclosure may prevent short-circuitbetween adjacent routing lines 160.

As described above, in the organic light-emitting display device havinga touch sensor according to the present disclosure, the thickness of thethin-film layer disposed on the region above each of the first andsecond dams 162 and 164 is less than the thickness of the thin-filmlayer disposed on the trench region 166 between the first and seconddams 162 and 164. In this case, a photoresist for forming the routingline is formed so as to have a uniform thickness on the trench region166 between the first and second dams 162 and 164 and the region aboveeach of the first and second dams 162 and 164. Thus, even when anexposure of the photoresist for forming the routing line 160, which isformed in the trench region 166 between the first and second dams 162and 164, is reduced compared to the comparative example, it is possibleto prevent the generation of a residual film of the photoresist forforming the routing line. As a result, it is possible to prevent theoccurrence of short-circuit in the routing line 160 in the trench region166 between the first and second dams 162 and 164 and to improveproductivity.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an organic light-emittingdisplay device having a touch sensor according to a third embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

The organic light-emitting display device illustrated in FIG. 7 has thesame constituent components as the organic light-emitting displaydevices illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, except that color filters 194 arefurther provided. A detailed explanation of the same constituentcomponents will be omitted for the sake of brevity.

The color filters 194 are formed between each of the touch-sensing line154 and the touch-driving line 152 and the light-emitting element 120.The spacing distance between each of the touch-sensing line 154 and thetouch-driving line 152 and the light-emitting element 120 is increasedby the color filters 194. Thus, the capacity of a parasitic capacitorformed between each of the touch-sensing line 154 and the touch-drivingline 152 and the light-emitting element 120 may be minimized, and mutualinteraction due to coupling between each of the touch-sensing line 154and the touch-driving line 152 and the light-emitting element 120 may beprevented. In addition, the color filters 194 are capable of preventingliquid chemical (developer, etchant or the like), which is used for themanufacture of the touch-sensing line 154 and the touch-driving line152, or external moisture from permeating the light-emitting stack 124.Thus, the color filters 194 are capable of preventing damage to thelight-emitting stack 124, which is vulnerable to liquid chemical ormoisture. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the structure in which the touchelectrodes 152 e and 154 e are disposed on the color filters 194 hasbeen described by way of example, but the color filters 194 may bedisposed on the touch electrodes 152 e and 154 e. In this case, thetouch electrodes 152 e and 154 e may be disposed between the colorfilters 194 and the encapsulation unit 140.

A black matrix 192 is disposed between the color filters 194. The blackmatrix 192 serves to divide the subpixel areas from each other and toprevent optical interference and light leakage between the adjacentsubpixel areas. The black matrix 192 is formed of a black insulationmaterial having high resistance, or is formed such that at least two ofred (R), green (G) and blue (B) color filters 194 are stacked. A touchplanarization layer 196 is formed on the substrate 111, on which thecolor filters 194 and the black matrix 192 have been formed. Thesubstrate 111, on which the color filters 194 and the black matrix 192have been formed, is flattened by the touch planarization layer 196.

FIGS. 8A to 8D are views illustrating a method of manufacturing theorganic light-emitting display device having a touch sensor according toan embodiment of the present disclosure. The manufacturing method willbe described with reference to the organic light-emitting display deviceillustrated in FIG. 4, but is not limited hereto.

Referring to FIG. 8A, the second bridge 154 b is formed on the substrate111, on which the switching transistor, the driving transistor T2 or130, the lower touch pad electrode 172, the lower display pad electrode182, the light-emitting element 120, the dams 162 and 164, theencapsulation unit 140 and the touch buffer film 148 have been formed.

Specifically, the substrate 111, on which the switching transistor, thedriving transistor T2 or 130, the lower touch pad electrode 172, thelower display pad electrode 182, the light-emitting element 120, thedams 162 and 164, the encapsulation unit 140 and the touch buffer film148 have been formed, is provided. Here, the touch buffer film 148 isdisposed on the lower touch pad electrode 172 and the lower display padelectrode 182 so as to cover the lower touch pad electrode 172 and thelower display pad electrode 182. Subsequently, a first conductive layer,which is formed of the same material as the lower touch pad electrode172 and the lower display pad electrode 182, is deposited on thesubstrate 111, on which the touch buffer film 148 is formed. The firstconductive layer is formed of a metal material, such as Ti, Cu, Mo, Ta,or MoTi, and is formed in a single-layer or multi-layer structure. Forexample, the first conductive layer is formed in a triple-layerstructure such as a stack of Ti/Al/Ti, MoTi/Cu/MoTi, or Ti/Al/Mo.Subsequently, the first conductive layer is patterned through aphotolithography process and an etching process using a photomask,thereby forming the second bridge 154 b on the touch buffer film 148.During the formation of the second bridge 154 b, the lower touch padelectrode 172 and the lower display pad electrode 182 are protected bythe buffer film 148, thereby preventing damage to the lower touch padelectrode 172 and the lower display pad electrode 182.

Referring to FIG. 8B, the touch insulation film 156, which has thereinthe touch contact hole 150, the touch pad contact hole 176 and thedisplay pad contact hole 186, is formed on the substrate 111, on whichthe second bridge 154 b has been formed.

Specifically, the touch insulation film 156 is formed by coating aninorganic insulation material or an organic insulation material on theentire surface of the substrate 111, on which the second bridge 154 bhas been formed. Here, the touch insulation film 156 is formed of aninorganic insulation material such as SiNx, SiON, or SiO₂, photoacryl,parylene, or a siloxane-based organic insulation material. Subsequently,the touch insulation film 156 and the touch buffer film 148 areselectively etched using the photoresist pattern, which has been formedthrough the photolithography process using the photomask, as a mask.Thus, the touch contact hole 150, the touch pad contact hole 176, andthe display pad contact hole 186 are formed, and the touch insulationfilm 156 and the touch buffer film 148, which are disposed on the firstand second dams 162 and 164, are removed. At this time, the secondinorganic encapsulation layer 146 disposed on the first and second dams162 and 164 may be removed, or a portion of the first inorganicencapsulation layer 142 and the second inorganic encapsulation layer 146may be removed.

Referring to FIG. 8C, the first and second touch electrodes 152 e and154 e, the first bridge 152 b, the routing line 160, the upper touch padelectrode 174, and the upper display pad electrode 184 are formed on thesubstrate 111, on which the touch insulation film 156, which has thereinthe touch contact hole 150, the touch pad contact hole 176 and thedisplay pad contact hole 186, has been formed.

Specifically, a second conductive layer is deposited on the substrate111, on which the touch contact hole 150, the touch pad contact hole 176and the display pad contact hole 186 have been formed. Here, the secondconductive layer may be formed of at least one of a transparentconductive layer and an opaque conductive layer. The transparentconductive layer is formed of IGZO, IZO, ITO, or ZnO, and the opaqueconductive layer is formed of a metal material, such as Al, Ti, Cu, Mo,Ta, or MoTi, and is formed in a single-layer or multi-layer structure.For example, the second conductive layer is formed in a triple-layerstructure such as a stack of Ti/Al/Ti, MoTi/Cu/MoTi, or Ti/Al/Mo.Subsequently, the second conductive layer is patterned through aphotolithography process and an etching process, thereby forming thefirst and second touch electrodes 152 e and 154 e, the first bridge 152b, the routing line 160, the upper touch pad electrode 174, and theupper display pad electrode 184.

Referring to FIG. 8D, the touch protective film 158 is formed on thesubstrate 111, on which the first and second touch electrodes 152 e and154 e, the first bridge 152 b, the routing line 160, the upper touch padelectrode 174 and the upper display pad electrode 184 have been formed.

Specifically, an inorganic insulation material or an organic insulationmaterial is formed on the entire surface of the substrate 111, on whichthe first and second touch electrodes 152 e and 154 e, the first bridge152 b, the first touch routing line 162, the touch pad 170 and thedisplay pad 180 have been formed. Subsequently, the inorganic insulationmaterial or the organic insulation material is patterned through aphotolithography process and an etching process, thereby forming thetouch protective film 158. The touch protective film 158 is formed in afilm or thin-film configuration using an organic insulation materialsuch as epoxy or acrylic, or is formed of an inorganic insulationmaterial such as SiNx or SiOx.

As described above, in the organic light-emitting display device havinga touch sensor according to the present disclosure, the thickness of thethin-film layer disposed on the region above each of the first andsecond dams 162 and 164 is less than the thickness of the thin-filmlayer disposed on the trench region 166 between the first and seconddams 162 and 164. Thus, it is possible to prevent the generation of aresidual film of the photoresist for forming the routing line in thetrench region 166 between the first and second dams 162 and 164 and toprevent the occurrence of short-circuit in the routing line 160 in thetrench region 166 between the first and second dams 162 and 164.

Meanwhile, in the present disclosure, the configuration in which thefirst and second touch electrodes 152 e and 154 e and the first andsecond bridges 152 b and 154 b are formed to have a plate shape, asillustrated in FIG. 4, has been described by way of example, the firstand second touch electrodes 152 e and 154 e and the first and secondbridges 152 b and 154 b may be formed to have a mesh shape, asillustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B. That is, at least one of the first touchelectrode 152 e and the second touch electrode 154 e and at least one ofthe first bridge 152 b and the second bridge 154 b may be formed of atransparent conductive film 1541, such as ITO or IZO, and a mesh metalfilm 1542 disposed above or under the transparent conductive film 1541and having a mesh shape. Alternatively, at least one of the first touchelectrode 152 e and the second touch electrode 154 e and the first andsecond bridges 152 b and 154 b may be formed of only the mesh metal film1542 without the transparent conductive film 1541, or may be formed ofthe transparent conductive film 1541 having a mesh shape without themesh metal film 1542. Here, the mesh metal film 1542 is formed to have amesh shape using a conductive layer of at least one of Ti, Al, Mo, MoTi,Cu, Ta, or ITO, so as to have higher conductivity than the transparentconductive film 1541. For example, the mesh metal film 1542 is formed ina triple-layer structure such as a stack of Ti/Al/Ti, MoTi/Cu/MoTi, orTi/Al/Mo. Thereby, the resistance and the capacitance of the first andsecond touch electrodes 152 e and 154 e and the first bridge 152 b maybe reduced, and the RC time constant may be reduced, which may result inincreased touch sensitivity. In addition, since the mesh metal film 1542of each of the first and second touch electrodes 152 e and 154 e and thefirst bridge 152 b has a very small line width, it is possible toprevent deterioration in the aperture ratio and transmissivity due tothe mesh metal film 1542.

Moreover, in the present disclosure, the mutual-capacitance-type touchsensor, which includes the touch-sensing line 154 and the touch-drivingline 152 intersecting each other with the touch insulation film 156interposed therebetween, has been described by way of example, but thepresent disclosure may also be applied to a self-capacitance-type touchsensor. Each of a plurality of self-capacitance-type touch electrodeshas an electrically independent self-capacitance, and thus is used as aself-capacity-type touch sensor that senses variation in capacitance bya user touch. That is, the routing lines 160 connected to theself-capacitance-type touch electrodes are disposed on the region aboveeach of the first and second dams 162 and 164 and the trench region 166between the first and second dams 162 and 164, which have a reducedunevenness therebetween. As a result, short-circuit in the routing lines160 is prevented, and thus reliability is increased.

As is apparent from the above description, a display device having atouch sensor according to the present disclosure is configured such thatthe total thickness of inorganic insulation layers disposed on theregion above each of dams is less than the total thickness of theinorganic insulation layers disposed on a trench region between thedams. Thus, since the unevenness between the region above each of damsand the trench region between the dams is reduced, and thus thethickness of a photoresist for forming a routing line in the trenchregion between the dams is reduced. As a result, it is possible toreduce an exposure of the photoresist for forming a routing line andconsequently to improve productivity.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made in the present inventionwithout departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it isintended that the present invention covers the modifications andvariations of this invention provided they come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display device comprising: a light-emittingelement disposed in an active area of a substrate; a touch sensordisposed on the light-emitting element; an encapsulation unit disposedbetween the light-emitting element and the touch sensor, theencapsulation unit comprising a plurality of inorganic encapsulationlayers and at least one organic encapsulation layer disposed between theinorganic encapsulation layers, a touch pad disposed in a pad area ofthe substrate, the touch pad being electrically connected to the touchsensor; and a first dam and a second dam disposed between the activearea and the pad area, wherein a total thickness of at least oneinorganic insulation layer disposed on an upper surface of the seconddams is different from a total thickness of the at least one inorganicinsulation layer disposed in a trench region between the first dam andthe second dam, wherein the touch sensor comprises a touch insulatingfilm disposed on the encapsulation unit, and wherein the touchinsulating film is disposed in the trench region.
 2. The display deviceaccording to claim 1, further comprising a routing line electricallyconnecting the touch sensor and the touch pad, wherein the routing lineis disposed on the encapsulation unit.
 3. The display device accordingto claim 2, wherein a total thickness of the at least one inorganicinsulation layer disposed between the upper surface of the second damand a lower surface of the routing line is less than a total thicknessof the at least one inorganic insulation layer disposed between an uppersurface of a conductive layer disposed below the second dam and thelower surface of the routing line.
 4. The display device according toclaim 3, wherein the conductive layer is electrically connected to acathode of the light-emitting element.
 5. The display device accordingto claim 2, wherein a total number of the at least one inorganicinsulation layer disposed between the upper surface of the second damand a lower surface of the routing line is less than a total number ofthe at least one inorganic insulation layer disposed between an uppersurface of a conductive layer disposed below the second dam and thelower surface of the routing line.
 6. The display device according toclaim 5, wherein one of the plurality of inorganic encapsulation layersis disposed between the upper surface of the second dam and the lowersurface of the routing line, and wherein the plurality of inorganicencapsulation layers and the touch insulation film are disposed betweenthe upper surface of the conductive layer and the lower surface of therouting line.
 7. The display device according to claim 1, wherein thetotal thickness of the at least one inorganic insulation layer disposedon the upper surface of the second dam is less than the total thicknessof the at least one inorganic insulation layer disposed in the trenchregion.
 8. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the touchsensor comprises a touch-sensing line and a touch-driving line disposedwith the touch insulation film interposed therebetween, and wherein theat least one inorganic insulation layer comprises at least one of theinorganic encapsulation layers and the touch insulation film.
 9. Thedisplay device according to claim 8, further comprising: a touch bufferfilm disposed between the touch insulation film and the encapsulationunit, wherein the at least one inorganic insulation layer comprises atleast one of the inorganic encapsulation layers, the touch buffer film,and the touch insulation film.
 10. The display device according to claim9, wherein the touch pad comprises: a lower touch pad electrode disposedon the substrate; and an upper touch pad electrode connected to thelower touch pad electrode exposed through a touch contact holepenetrating the touch buffer film and the touch insulation film.
 11. Thedisplay device according to claim 1, wherein the touch pad comprises: alower touch pad electrode disposed on the substrate; and an upper touchpad electrode connected to the lower touch pad electrode exposed througha touch contact hole penetrating the inorganic encapsulation layers andthe touch insulation film.
 12. The display device according to claim 1,further comprising: a thin-film transistor disposed in the active areaand electrically connected to the light-emitting element.
 13. Thedisplay device according to claim 1, wherein the second dam is closer tothe pad area than the first dam.